1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to forming flanges on parts, and in particular, to forming angled flanges on parts. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for bending a workpiece to form an angled flange.
2. Background
Different types of objects may be formed using a part having a flange. As used herein, a “flange” may be a protruding ridge, a rim, a collar, a rib, or some other type of extension on a part. In some cases, the flange on a part may be angled with respect to another portion of the part. This type of flange may be referred to as an “angled flange”.
Different types of tools may be used to form an angled flange on a part. For example, without limitation, various tools may be used to bend the flange on a part relative to the rest of the part to form an angled flange. The angled flange may be formed at some selected angle relative to the rest of the part. The tools used to form these angled flanges may be referred to as “bend tools”. In some cases, these bend tools may be used to hold the part with the angled flange at selected angles relative to the rest of the part, while the part is cured, heated, hardened, or processed in some other manner.
However, some currently available bend tools may be heavier and/or larger than desired. Transporting these heavy tools to various locations for use with different parts may be more difficult than desired. Further, using these types of bend tools on a moving line or an assembly line in a manufacturing facility may be more difficult than desired.
The increased weight and size of these currently available bend tools may increase the energy needed to perform heating and/or curing operations during manufacturing and fabrication. For example, without limitation, when placed in an oven or an autoclave, a bend tool may block heat and/or draw heat away from the part being held by the bend tool. Further, as the size of the bend tool increases, the energy needed to heat the bend tool also increases.
Additionally, some currently available bend tools may only be configured for use with a particular type of part. Consequently, using part-specific bend tools to form an object comprised of multiple parts that require angled flanges may be more expensive than desired. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.